The NHL and Buffalo Sabres announced that Buffalo will host the 2026 NHL Draft, marking the fourth time the city has done so. This event follows previous drafts in 1991, 1998, and 2016, placing Buffalo second only to Montreal in NHL draft history. Commissioner Gary Bettman highlighted the city's strong hockey culture as a key reason for the selection.
The announcement came on Monday, confirming reports from late last week. Buffalo's selection underscores its deep ties to the sport, as noted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during a press availability before the Sabres' game against the Florida Panthers.
"This is a place where hockey really matters. Great fans, great history and tradition. Hockey at all levels in the game, grassroots on up, and people have always supported and been enthusiastic about hockey, particularly the team is as competitive as this one looks,” Bettman said. “It's an exciting opportunity to bring it back.”
The 2026 draft will be the fourth in Buffalo, following the 2016 event where the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews first overall. Like the previous year's decentralized draft in Los Angeles, the 2026 edition will spread across multiple locations to enhance accessibility, with plans to refine the format based on lessons learned.
"Since it was the first time we were decentralizing, we wanted to try some things out and be new and different than you see perhaps in other drafts,” Bettman explained. “I think the first round may have been a bit over produced, and so we learned some things work and some things didn't work. And so I think we're going to look to streamline it, but at the same time, we'll try some new things to be innovative and creative."
This news arrives amid a resurgent season for the Sabres, who recently fired general manager Kevyn Adams and hired Jarmo Kekalainen, sparking a 13-1-1 run in their last 15 games. The franchise, absent from playoffs for 14 straight seasons, now ties for the second wild card spot in the East. Hosting the draft could further boost momentum in a city eager for hockey success.
